Curse of a beast
by Tears In Silence
Summary: After returning to the royal court from studying in a monastery, Cassandra discovers that ominous things are happening in the palace. An ancient power threatens to destroy the whole kingdom. The prince suffers from a strange curse, which seems to have no cure. And what are those strange voices, Cassandra always hears whispering to her? My own take on Beauty and The Beast.
1. Prologue

_Hey guys! This is my attempt to rewrite the awesome tale of **Beauty and The Beast**. I love this story sooo much and after reading some other rewritten versions of this I thought: I defenitaly have to do that. So here it is (or at least the prologue). I hope you don't mind my imperfect English as I'm no Native speaker. ;) Well, now I hope you enjoy it and hopefully leave some hints and oppinions in the comments. xoxo, TearsInSilence_

**Prologue**

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shinning brightly and for the first time this month it was warm enough to play outside. Little Rose smiled and shifted anxiously on her chair. It was so boring inside! She wondered, when Mother would come home. Maybe, she could go outside then...? Mrs. Walker didn't allow her to play in the garden. Rose would ruin her new dress, she had said. Rose sulked. She didn't like Mrs. Walker. She was always sooo strict and not even as close as funny as her mother.

Again Rose peaked outside the window and watched some butterflies dancing across the lawn. They were so beautiful- yellow, just like the sun. Maybe she should just sneak out? But then Mother would be angry at her, because she didn't pay attention to what Mrs. Walker had said. Rose crossed her arms in front of her chest. Why did the old governess always had to be such a meany?

Rose looked around in the parlour Mrs. Walker had demanded her to sit in for a moment. Her father had so many things from different countries- books, pictures and so much more. The little girl left her cup of hot chocolate on the table and started walking around in the big room. There was a painted picture, which looked kinda funny. The man on the painting had a big nose, which reminded Rose of a big potato. She chuckled at the thought and continued examining the other pictures. They were pretty boring in comparison, showing people with the exact same serious gaze. The little girl wondered, why the where not allowed to laugh. But then something caught her eye, a reddish gleam.

She turned around and her eyes widened in surprise. There were flowers. Roses. But they were unlike the ones in the garden. The flowers were deep red- and they seemed to glow! So beautiful...Rose smiled as she walked towards the table the flowers were lying on. Surely father had brought them with him on his last journey? They would wither if they didn't get water soon. That would be a pity. The little girl stood in front of the table, unsure what to do. What had Mrs. Walker said? "You won't touch anything in the parlour, do you understand?" But she would only put the roses in a vase. That wouldn't do any harm, would it? Rose hesitated for a moment. Then she reached out her hand and grabbed one of the roses- and quickly pulled it away again.

Ouch. She had pricked herself- it ached. Rose whimpered a little, while a little drop of blood ran down her finger. Maybe she should go to Mrs. Walker, so she could put a little bandage on the finger? But to her horror she couldn't move. Rose's body felt so weak and faint. She wanted to shout out loud, cry for help- but it was useless. A black veil began to cover more and more of her vision, while her legs buckled and she crumbled to the ground, without being able to catch herself.

Surprisingly she felt no pain, just a numb feeling overcoming here. Help, she wanted to cry. But no sound escaped her mouth. Rose suddenly was tired and she felt herself drifting away. It was like falling asleep every evening after her mother's bedtime story- so quiet and impossible to fight. The last thing Little Rose saw was a radiant deep red glow. Then everything went black.


	2. Home

"That is the end? She died and that is it?", Cassandra asked and raised her eyebrow.

Mister Lucae nodded his head and answered with a ridiculously low voice: "Yes, the little girl never woke up again. I don't know what happened to the family, maybe they moved away. Or the curse of the roses let them vanish into thin air. One thing is certain: they were never seen again."

The old merchant gestured oddly, as if to emphasize the mysteriousness of the disappearance of the family. Cassandra hid a laugh. What a stupid story. So surreal, no one in their right mind would believe this actually happened. Silence set again over the small group of travellers. Cassandra looked out of the window of the small carriage and sighed quietly. The sun had already begun to set, when the small farmhouses of the outskirts of Aeneus loomed on the horizon. The dim light made them glow softly in the evening sun. She had almost forgotten, how beautiful the more rural part of her hometown was.

"Why, do I see a glimpse of homesickness in your eyes, Miss Cassandra?", the merchant asked and smirked.

The girl turned around to face the man opposite to her and tried to smile. She was not sure, whether she liked this friend of her father or not. He was about fifty years old, dressed in very expensive and fancy clothes and smelled like something Cassandra assumed to be opium. The young woman usually hated men with such a debauched lifestyle, but at least Mister Lucae was friendly enough to escort her back home and he obviously tried his best to break this awkward silence between them.

"I really missed my father and my sister", Cassandra simply said and smiled again.

"But", the merchant once more tried to begin a conversation, "you surely also have missed the court and Aeneus, our glorious capital, haven't you? I really envy you and your father for living in such a civilized and delightful place. It must have been dreadfully boring at the old monastery!"

The young woman just nodded and sheepishly brushed a strand of her auburn hair out of her face. Actually she didn't agree at all with the old merchant. But she knew, he wouldn't understand. It had been so peaceful at the monastery. There were no excessive parties, no big meals and no need to act formal all the time. The nuns had been friendly, wise and kind- which was an extreme contrast to the people at the court of Aeneus, where most were facile, overly friendly and false-faced all the time. Cassandra had found peace within the convent's gardens- a peace she wouldn't find back at home in the pompous walls of the palace.

It was not her occupation, that bothered her. It was a real honour to be the queen's maid. Only noble women were allowed to serve the queen and her father always reminded Cassandra, that this was a position she could be proud of. Actually she liked this work. Although Cassandra wasn't the most affectionate person, Queen Lillien had always been kind towards her. The queen was one of the few people of the Aeneian court, Cassandra considered to be genuinely sympathetic towards others. Another mistress probably wouldn't have let her go away for one year to study just like that (although Cassandra also credited this privilege to her father's position as one of the royal advisers). She would have loved to return to her hometown, if it wasn't for those loud, laughing counts, countesses and other noblemen and women...

Once again the young woman looked outside the window. They had passed the outskirts and now travelled by fancy houses and shops. There were few people on the street at that time. Cassandra was quite astonished, that nothing had changed- but on the other hand: what kind of change did she expect? She smiled at her own stupidity and shook her head slightly. A glint catched her eye. There, about one mile away, was the palace. The tops of the tower gleamed in the light of the setting sun like gold. The young woman's heart began to beat faster than usual at this sight. Home. She would see her father again. And Helen. She never thought, she would miss her family that much.

Suddendly the carriage stopped. There were voices outside, definitely male ones. Cassandra looked at Mister Lucae questioningly, but he also seemed puzzled. The young woman looked outside the window. She saw some men on horses, who were talking to the coachman. Their red uniforms looked familiar to her. Cassandra's head began to spin- the royal guards! Something must be terribly wrong! What had happend? Was something wrong with her father? She heard Mister Lucae talk to some of the guards, while she still sat inside the carriage. She needed to know. The young woman got off the carriage and ran towards the merchant and the guard he was talking to. It was icy cold outside and her blue dress draggled on the muddy floor, but she didn't care. Her heart was beating even faster, while she came near them. The old man turned around and faced her.

"Miss Cassandra!", the merchant called, an unreadable look on his face, "Looks like you wont go back to the royal court."

_Hey guys! First of all I want to thank Moonlight Iridescence and Not smut for following/favorating this story. A special thanks goes to blue rose ink, who really encouraged me to continue this. You guys are awesome! I hope you also liked this first chapter, although nothing really happend yet. Stay tuned, if you want to find out what happens next. xoxo, silent tears_


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